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A death sentence for Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi

Sept. 9 - Iraq's fugitive Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi was sentenced to death for murder on Sunday in a ruling likely to further stoke sectarian tensions

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A death sentence for Iraq's fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi.
Just hours after a wave of bombings killed dozens of people in Iraq, the Sunni Muslim politician was sentenced to death for murder.
In Turkey he said he is reviewing the sentence.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) VICE PRESIDENT TAREQ AL-HASHEMI SAYING:
"We discussed various issues, of bilateral and common interests, definitely including the verdict that has been issued today. I am going to tackle this issue in a statement and all Turkish media will be invited. So please be patient, thank you very much"
He has been accused of running a death squad. In Baghdad some welcomed the verdict.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI CITIZEN ABBAS YAHYA, SAYING:
"He deserves execution because he did not work well. He killed the people. As a vice president he was supposed to be a model for others. He was supposed to support us and not be involved in terrorist acts and kill the people."
After the fall of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein and the rise of Iraq's Shi'ite majority, many Iraqi Sunnis feel they have been sidelined.
Violence in Iraq has eased since the darker days of sectarian slaughter after the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam. But insurgents are still carrying out at least one major coordinated attack a month.

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